Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-19
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The first table below shows changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables show changes in the population of the five districts of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The following tables illustrate the overall population growth in New York City along with its five districts over the same period of time, in 1800, 2900 and 2000.
Overall, New York City has experienced a steady population growth; however, the demographic transition of Manhattan district saw a downward trend in comparison to other areas.
To begin with. the population of New York City surged significantly from 79,216 in 1800 to 3,437,202 in 1900 before it crossed 8 million in the year of 2000. While the Manhattan district saw a population decline from 76% in 1800 to 19% in 2000, with 54% decrease in 1900.
In contrast, the remaining four territories enjoyed a tremendous demographic surge across the time span and accounted for the largest proportion of the total registered citizens. With just over 18,701 residents in 1800, these districts enjoyed a 46% surged in their total populations in 1900, with approximately 1,587,109 in figures. In 2000, these regions recorded a significant growth reaching their total number of audience to over 6.4M, constituting 81% of the total New York City demographics.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the data, including the overall growth of NYC and the shift in population distribution between Manhattan and the other districts. However, there are some inaccuracies in data interpretation. For instance, the text mentions a '54% decrease in 1900' for Manhattan, which is not supported by the provided table. Additionally, the term 'audience' is incorrectly used to refer to the population. While the main trends are identified, the analysis lacks precision in reporting specific figures, and the inclusion of '2900' in the introduction is a clear error that impacts the clarity of the task response.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'To begin with', and 'In contrast' are used to guide the reader. However, there are some issues with punctuation and sentence structure, such as the full stop after 'To begin with' instead of a comma. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the progression of ideas is generally clear, although the connection between the data points could be smoother to improve the overall flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with attempts at using descriptive language like 'surged significantly' and 'tremendous demographic surge'. However, there are instances of inappropriate word choice, such as using 'territories' to describe districts and 'audience' to refer to the population. These errors, while not impeding communication, show a lack of precision. The spelling of '2900' instead of '1900' in the introduction is a notable slip that affects the professional tone of the report.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as '46% surged' (should be '46% surge') and 'reaching their total number of audience to over 6.4M' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation errors, specifically the misuse of the full stop after 'To begin with', are present. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. The control of grammar is sufficient for communication but lacks the consistency required for a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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